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Sooooooooooo, I had my pre-appointment for my sleep apnea…well, it’s actually the appointment to see if you sound like you have sleep apnea, and do a cursory exam.

Interestingly enough, the doctor said my ‘soft palate’ was really close to the back of my throat, which is pretty much a sure thing for obstructive airway sleep apnea.

Losing 20 pounds helped alleviate some of the worse symptoms, I still struggle with sleep apnea. And it does affect so many aspects of life, not just ‘ruining your sleep’. The hormones that get messed over from the interrupted sleep, the ‘gasping’ for air, when you stop breathing in the middle of the night, excess fluid gets pumped into your heart, and causes your heart to release a hormone, that causes you to need to urinate more. INTERESTING!. Just saying.

The added element of messed up sleep, interrupted sleep, the body getting spurts of adrenaline and/or hormones throughout the night, and all the normal nighttime body repair and restoration that gets deprived, derailed or slowed due to the erratic sleeping pattern, it ALL amazes me. It’s NEVER just one thing. It NEVER takes days to fix what has been ‘off’ for years…but on the flip side of that coin, it’s FASCINATING how QUICKLY your body gains strength and endurance when you start to build it up and SUPPORT it.

Anyhow, I will be doing my sleep test Tuesday night. I’m so excited. The one real concern I had was ‘IF’ I have sleep apnea, having to use a CPAP machine was freaking me out. I hate the idea of ‘air’ being forced down my throat, making my mouth and throat dry. However, the doctor explained that the air is actually humidified and warm, and it’s like a tropical feel. THAT actually sounded NICE.

So, I’m looking forward to this part of my journey being understood and addressed. So very thankful.